Posted June 14, 200519 yr Herald Draft armed with promise BY KEVIN BAXTER CHICAGO - It's likely to be three or four years before last week's amateur draft bears fruit for the Marlins, but if the early reviews are any indication, the team could be enjoying that fruit for some time. ''They had one of the best drafts I've seen in all my years of scouting,'' Philadelphia Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever told The Philadelphia Inquirer. 'What they did on the pitching side was amazing. They took some great arms with some high ceilings. Every time we looked at the board, we were saying, `My God, they got another one.' '' The Marlins, who had three first-round picks and two supplemental picks before the second round, used all five selections on pitchers. Right-hander Chris Volstad from Palm Beach Gardens High was their first choice, drafted with the 16th pick. The Marlins say they haven't signed any of their top picks but say they are ''making progress'' in contract negotiations. As for the praise of colleagues, Jim Fleming, the Marlins' vice president for scouting and player development, said it was nice to hear but only time will tell if it's warranted. ''It's [seven] days after the draft,'' he said. ``Hopefully in five years, they'll be saying this was a very good draft. You have to wait and see. These guys have to continue to develop; they have to stay healthy.'' Scouting director Stan Meek, who supervised much of the team's draft and scouted more than 200 players, said the draft went as well as any he has been involved with -- but added that doesn't mean much just yet. ''I felt like, coming out of the draft, we really got some of the guys we wanted,'' Meek said. ``If they go out and pitch well, great. If they don't then you wonder what happened.'' Either way, Meek isn't ready to rest on his laurels. Instead, he'll be in Atlanta this week scouting a high school tournament in advance of next June's draft. ''This just doesn't ever stop,'' he said.
June 14, 200519 yr Would have been nice if we took Hansen with #22, but oh well. 809046[/snapback] We made a run at him...can't fault the Fish for trying. You can thank Scott Boras for him being drafted by the Red Sox. Glad he's in the AL. :hat
June 14, 200519 yr Would have been nice to get a hitter or two early, especially one capable of playing a premium position.
June 14, 200519 yr You can never tell how drafts go until years down the line when you can see which prospects blossomed or not. There's plenty of stars today who were regarded quite poorly at the time of the draft
June 14, 200519 yr Would have been nice to get a hitter or two early, especially one capable of playing a premium position. 809072[/snapback] Yup
June 14, 200519 yr Would have been nice if we took Hansen with #22, but oh well. 809046[/snapback] would have been nicer if we took a hitter early
June 14, 200519 yr Would have been nice if we took Hansen with #22, but oh well. 809046[/snapback] would have been nicer if we took a hitter early 809289[/snapback] yup yup
June 14, 200519 yr Sounds like we made some great choices, can't blame the Marlins for going after quality pitching, I mean, 2003 proved that pitching wins games, now if only that catcher we got can pan out to something great, we'll need a future catcher to replace Lo Duca from here to five years.
June 14, 200519 yr I posted this on the minorleague board, b/c the draft topics, but seeing its has been brought up here...here you go I know its been point out already that Hansen would have been the pick at 16th b/c of the need right NOW of the team, but in 3 or 4 years who to say Volstad is a better prospect or pitcher. And its pretty obvious that right now b/c either of media hype or developing quicker Scott Boras clients were the cream of the crop...BUT, Is LHP Mark Pawelek better Aaron Thompson? well I don't but I do know Thompson played with better competition. Is Taylor Teagarden better than Brett Hayes right now? Yes but both are very close IMO, so why pay more when there better close. Boras control the draft by steering his clients to certain teams(St.Louis, Cubs, NY, LA, etc...) b/c he knows he can get top dollar. He did it with JD Drew(holdout all year and re-entering the draft) and Ric Ankel when both came out in draft. Mark McCormick is another one who has unbelievable talent where did he end up? St.Louis. By the way Scott Boras played for the St.Louis Cardinals just in case you see a trend. Another thing not all Boras players pan out Matt Harrington after 3yr of getting draft by the Padres and Rockies and not signing. He went un-drafted this go around. Back to the Marlins draft they need pitching b/c pitchers have a higher rate of failure. Position player can be trade for or signed as free agent..you are more likely get more in return for your money on a position player than a pitcher(unless its Pedro) throught out the length of the contract. another thing teams in trades are always looking for pitching, pitching, pitching...this team was built on pitching. The Lowell trade Pitching The Willis trade Pitching The Conine trade Pitching The Lo Duca/ Mota trade Picthing The 1st Encarncion trade Pitching stop me if you see a trend.... The draft was very strong with HS pitchers, so the Marlins drafted HS pitching. Why draft player A who has develop quicker than player B but is asking for more money, though both have the same talent in the long run. Again the Marlins' draft was not good, not great, but awesome. To get the "best" pitchers in four of five hotbed states for baseball talent(Fla, Tx, LA, Cali)(Colorado the fifth one) you kick a** . The Marlins left draft table with ski masket on after what happen last TuesdayIMO laugh.gif We'll look back at this draft as best in Marlin history...bank on thumbup.gif
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.